Voice controlled assistant with light indicator

ABSTRACT

A voice controlled assistant has a housing to hold one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and various computing components. The housing has an elongated cylindrical body extending along a center axis between a base end and a top end. The microphone(s) are mounted in the top end and the speaker(s) are mounted proximal to the base end. A control knob is rotatably mounted to the top end of the housing to rotate about the center axis. A light indicator is arranged on the control knob to exhibit various appearance states to provide visual feedback with respect to the one or more functions being performed by the assistant. In one case, the light indicator is used to uniquely identify participants involved in a call.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S.application Ser. No. 13/830,257, filed Mar. 14, 2013, incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Homes are becoming more connected with the proliferation of computingdevices such as desktops, tablets, entertainment systems, and portablecommunication devices. As these computing devices evolve, many differentways have been introduced that allow users to interact with computingdevices, such as through mechanical devices (e.g., keyboards, mice,etc.), touch screens, motion, and gesture. Another way to interact withcomputing devices is through speech.

To implement speech interaction, a device is commonly equipped with amicrophone to receive voice input from a user and a speech recognitioncomponent to recognize and understand the voice input. The device alsocommonly includes a speaker to emit audible responses to the user. Withspeech interaction, the device may be operated essentially “hands free”.For some operations, however, voice operation may not be intuitive oreasily implemented. Furthermore, in some applications, audio responsesmay not be sufficient for the desired user experience.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved designs of voiceenabled devices that are intuitive and easy to operate and that providedifferent forms of responses to enhance user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Thesame reference numbers in different figures indicate similar oridentical items.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative voice interactive computing architectureset in an example environment that includes a near end talkercommunicating with a far end talker or cloud service through use of avoice controlled assistant.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of selected functional componentsimplemented in the voice controlled assistant of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one implementation of the voicecontrolled assistant of FIG. 1 to illustrate a control knob integratedwith a cylindrical housing of the voice controlled assistant, and alight indicator arranged at an upper edge of the control knob.

FIG. 4 shows one example implementation of the control knob of FIG. 3 inmore detail.

FIG. 5 shows one example implementation of the control knob of FIG. 3integrated with complementary internal gearing within the voicecontrolled assistant.

FIG. 6 shows a top down view of the voice controlled assistant of FIG. 3to illustrate a light edge pipe arranged on the control knob and anexample arrangement of microphones to form a microphone array.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the voice controlled assistant ofFIG. 3 according to one example implementation in which two speakers arecoaxially aligned.

FIG. 8 shows a top down view of the voice controlled assistant of FIG. 3taken just beneath the outer housing to illustrate one exampleimplementation of a light indicator formed of an array of LEDs used toilluminate multiple segments in a light edge pipe.

FIG. 9 illustrates a variety of example lighting arrangements that maybe exhibited by the light indicator depending upon an associatedfunction.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative process of operatingthe voice controlled assistant of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example implementation of the voice controlledassistant in which the light indicator is configured to be used forcaller identification.

FIG. 12 illustrates a system with multiple voice controlled assistantscommunicatively coupled to communicate with one another and tocoordinate output of their respective light indicators to producecombined visual appearances.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A voice controlled assistant having a light indicator is described. Inone implementation, the light indicator is formed as part of anintegrated manual control knob. The voice controlled assistant isdiscussed in the context of an architecture in which the assistant isconnected to far end talkers or a network accessible computing platform,or “cloud service”, via a network. The voice controlled assistant may beimplemented as a hands-free device equipped with a wireless LAN (WLAN)interface. The voice controlled assistant relies primarily, if notexclusively, on voice interactions with a user. However, for certainoperations, the manual control knob provides an intuitive mechanicalmeans for user input and the light indicator facilitates intuitive anduseful non-audio feedback to enhance user experience.

To illustrate one example usage scenario, the voice controlled assistantmay be positioned in a room (e.g., at home, work, store, etc.) toreceive user input in the form of voice interactions, such as spokenrequests or a conversational dialogue. Depending on the request, thevoice controlled assistant may perform any number of actions orfunctions. For instance, the assistant may play music or emit verbalanswers to the user. The assistant may alternatively function as acommunication device to facilitate network voice communications with afar end talker. As still another alternative, the user may ask aquestion or submit a search request to be performed by a remote cloudservice. For instance, the user's voice input may be transmitted fromthe assistant over a network to the cloud service, where the voice inputis interpreted and used to perform a function. In the event that thefunction creates a response, the cloud service transmits the responseback over the network to the assistant, where it may be audibly emittedto the user.

When using speech as the primary interaction, however, the user mayencounter situations when the hands-free device is not as intuitive oreasy to operate as might be expected or desired. For instance, supposethe user is in the midst of a conversation using the voice controlledassistant and the user would like to adjust the volume of the audiooutput. In a purely voice controlled mode of operation, the deviceexpects to receive the command vocally. However, it may be difficult forthe device to differentiate between words in the conversation and avolume control command. To alleviate this potential confusion, the voicecontrolled assistant is constructed with an integrated control knob thatallows the user to make certain adjustments manually through use of theknob. For instance, the user may adjust the volume via the control knobwhile conducting the verbal conversation.

Furthermore, in some contexts, exclusive audio feedback may not besuitable. For instance, when the user is in the midst of a conversation,an audio signal or indication may be inappropriate because it interruptsthe conversation, or may even go undetected by the user. Accordingly,the voice controlled assistant is further constructed with a lightindicator to convey visual, non-audio messages or feedback to the user.The light indicator may be configured to provide multiple differenttypes of indications. In one implementation, the light indicator isconstructed to emit multi-color light from multiple segments accordingto any on/off, intensity differences, or animation/sequencing pattern,thereby providing an essentially unlimited variety of indications.

In one particular scenario, the voice controlled assistant may be usedto facilitate a phone conversation, either by itself or in conjunctionwith a phone (e.g., cellular phone, smart phone, etc.). In thisscenario, the light indicator may be used to identify the person who iscalling or the intended recipient of the call. For instance, the lightindicator may exhibit different colors or patterns for different callersor recipients. When a call is received, the light indicator emits aunique visual appearance state associated with the caller and/orrecipient.

In another particular scenario, the voice controlled assistant isequipped with a light indicator may be used as a visualization andwarning device. For instance, the light indicator may be programmed todisplay custom notification patterns to either warn or inform a user.Messages intended for a particular user would result in a custom visualappearance of the light indicator. The visual appearance may not onlyidentify the target recipient, but also the sender of the message.

The architecture may be implemented in many ways. Various exampleimplementations are provided below. However, the architecture may beimplemented in many other contexts and situations different from thoseshown and described below.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative architecture 100, set in an exemplaryenvironment 102, which includes a voice controlled assistant 104. Inthis example, the environment may be a room or an office, and a user 106is present to interact with the voice controlled assistant 104. Althoughonly one user 106 is illustrated in FIG. 1, multiple users may use thevoice controlled assistant 104. The user 106 may be located proximal tothe voice controlled assistant 104, and hence serve as a near end talkerin some contexts.

In this illustration, the voice controlled assistant 104 is physicallypositioned on a table 108 within the environment 102. The voicecontrolled assistant 104 is shown sitting upright and supported on itsbase end. In other implementations, the assistant 104 may be placed inany number of locations (e.g., ceiling, wall, in a lamp, beneath atable, on a work desk, in a hall, under a chair, etc.). The voicecontrolled assistant 104 is shown communicatively coupled to remoteentities 110 over a network 112. The remote entities 110 may includeindividual people, such as a person 114, or automated systems (notshown) that serve as far end talkers to verbally interact with the user106. The remote entities 110 may alternatively comprise cloud services116 hosted, for example, on one or more servers 118(1), . . . , 118(S).These servers 118(1)-(S) may be arranged in any number of ways, such asserver farms, stacks, and the like that are commonly used in datacenters.

The cloud services 116 generally refer to a network accessible platformimplemented as a computing infrastructure of processors, storage,software, data access, and so forth that is maintained and accessiblevia a network such as the Internet. Cloud services 116 do not requireend-user knowledge of the physical location and configuration of thesystem that delivers the services. Common expressions associated withcloud services include “on-demand computing”, “software as a service(SaaS)”, “platform computing”, “network accessible platform”, and soforth.

The cloud services 116 may host any number of applications that canprocess the user input received from the voice controlled assistant 104,and produce a suitable response. Example applications might include webbrowsing, online shopping, banking, email, work tools, productivity,entertainment, educational, and so forth.

In FIG. 1, the user 106 is shown communicating with the remote entities110 via the voice controlled assistant 104. In the illustrated scenario,the voice controlled assistant 104 outputs an audible question, “What doyou want to do?” as represented by dialog bubble 120. This output mayrepresent a question from a far end talker 114, or from a cloud service116 (e.g., an entertainment service). The user 106 is shown replying tothe question by stating, “I'd like to buy tickets to a movie” asrepresented by the dialog bubble 122. In some implementations, the voicecontrolled assistant 104 is equipped with a text-to-speech (TTS) enginethat generates voice audio output from text-based content received fromthe remote entities 110. This TTS engine may, in other implementations,be located at the remote entities 110 to convert the text content to anaudio output signal, which is then transmitted to the voice controlledassistant 104.

The voice controlled assistant 104 is equipped with an array 124 ofmicrophones 126(1), . . . , 126(M) to receive the voice input from theuser 106 as well as any other audio sounds in the environment 102. Themicrophones 126(1)-(M) are generally arranged at a first or top end ofthe assistant 104 opposite the base end seated on the table 108, as willbe described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 6, and 7.Although multiple microphones are illustrated, in some implementations,the assistant 104 may be embodied with only one microphone.

The voice controlled assistant 104 may further include a speaker array128 of speakers 130(1), . . . , 130(P) to output sounds in humanlyperceptible frequency ranges. The speakers 130(1)-(P) may be configuredto emit sounds at various frequency ranges, so that each speaker has adifferent range. In this manner, the assistant 104 may output highfrequency signals, mid frequency signals, and low frequency signals. Thespeakers 130(1)-(P) are generally arranged at a second or base end ofthe assistant 104 and oriented to emit the sound in a downward directiontoward the base end and opposite to the microphone array 124 in the topend. One particular arrangement is described below in more detail withreference to FIG. 7. Although multiple speakers are illustrated, theassistant 104 may be embodied with only one speaker in otherimplementations.

The voice controlled assistant 104 is further configured with a controlknob 132 to control any number of aspects, such as volume, treble, base,radio band selection, menu navigation, and so forth. The control knob132 permits manual adjustment without use of verbal commands. Forinstance, the user can adjust volume while conducting a contemporaneousverbal conversation. The control knob is described below in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 3-5 and 7.

The voice controlled assistant 104 may further include a light indicator134 to provide non-audio, visual indications to the user. In oneimplementation, the light indicator 134 is integrated with the controlknob 132, such as a light edge pipe around an externally exposed lip oredge of the control knob 132 to permit viewing from all directions. Thelight indicator 134 may be configured with multiple LEDs to providemultiple colored light segments that can be actively controlled toexhibit essentially any color, sequence, or effect. The light indicator134 may be used to provide visual cues or feedback to the user. Variousfunctions or activities may be programmatically associated withdifferent indication or appearance states of the light indicator 134.For instance, the light indicator 134 may take on a first appearance(e.g., solid green color) when the assistant 104 is active and awaitinginput, and a second appearance (e.g., solid red color) when a pendingmessage has been received. The light indicator 134 may further produce athird appearance (e.g., flashing color) when providing a notice orwarning to the user and a fourth appearance (e.g., sequentialclockwise/counterclockwise on/off pattern) when the user is adjustingthe control knob. Other examples of possible events that may be assignedto various appearances of the light indicator include alerts, reminders,calendar events, call waiting, arrival of a message (e.g., voicemail,email, text, etc.), mute on/off, recording active, security event (e.g.,detecting a presence of an intruder through audible sound), amplitude ofspeaker's voice, direction of voice source, power, connection to a Wi-Finetwork, weather (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.), timer, and soforth. A more detailed of one particular configuration of the lightindicator is described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7-9.

The voice controlled assistant 104 may further include computingcomponents 136 that process the voice input received by the microphonearray 124, enable communication with the remote entities 110 over thenetwork 112, and generate the audio to be output by the speaker array128. The computing components 136 are generally positioned between themicrophone array 124 and the speaker array 128, although essentially anyother arrangement may be used. One collection of additional computingcomponents 136 are illustrated and described with reference to FIG. 2.

Among the computing components 136 are a knob controller 138 and a lightindicator controller 140. The knob controller receives input from themanual control knob 132 that is rotatably mounted on the assistant 104.The knob controller 138 translates the mechanical movement of the knobto a control signal for controlling any number of aspects, such asvolume, treble, base, radio band selection, menu navigation, and soforth. The light indicator controller 140 controls operation of thelight indicator 134. More specifically, the light indicator controller140 programmatically associates various functions with the differentindication states that the light indicator 134 can exhibit. If the lightindicator 134 is a multi-color, multi-segment indicator, the controller140 may further determine which ring segments to illuminate, whichcolors to use, a timing to illuminate the segments, and whether tofollow a pattern, sequence, or animation.

FIG. 2 shows selected functional components of the voice controlledassistant 104 in more detail. Generally, the voice controlled assistant104 may be implemented as a standalone device that is relatively simplein terms of functional capabilities with limited input/outputcomponents, memory, and processing capabilities. For instance, the voicecontrolled assistant 104 may not have a keyboard or keypad. Nor does ithave a display or touch screen to facilitate visual presentation anduser touch input. Instead, the assistant 104 may be implemented with theability to receive and output audio, a network interface (wireless orwire-based), power, and limited processing/memory capabilities.

In the illustrated implementation, the voice controlled assistant 104includes the microphone array 124, the speaker array 128, a control knob132, a light indicator 134 as described above with respect to FIG. 1.The microphone array 124 may be used to capture speech input from theuser 106, or other sounds in the environment 102. The speaker array 128may be used to output speech from a far end talker, audible responsesprovided by the cloud services, forms of entertainment (e.g., music,audible books, etc.), or any other form of sound. The speaker array 128may output a wide range of audio frequencies including both humanperceptible frequencies and non-human perceptible frequencies. Thecontrol knob 132 permits manual input for various assignable activities,and the light indicator 134 provides visual, non-audio feedback to theuser. In the illustrated implementation, the light indicator 134includes an edge pipe provided at an outer lip of the control knob 132and a light source 200 optically coupled to deliver light to the edgepipe. The light source 200 may be comprised of one or more lightemitting diodes (LEDs), which may further be multi-color LEDs. In oneimplementation, the light indicator has twelve LEDs 200 that providetwelve distinct color segments that are individually controllable.

The voice controlled assistant 104 further includes a processor 202 andmemory 204. The processor 202 may be implemented as any form ofprocessing component, including a microprocessor, control logic,application-specific integrated circuit, and the like. The memory 204may include computer-readable storage media (“CRSM”), which may be anyavailable physical media accessible by the processor 202 to executeinstructions stored on the memory. In one basic implementation, CRSM mayinclude random access memory (“RAM”) and Flash memory. In otherimplementations, CRSM may include, but is not limited to, read-onlymemory (“ROM”), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(“EEPROM”), or any other medium which can be used to store the desiredinformation and which can be accessed by the processor 202.

Several modules such as instruction, datastores, and so forth may bestored within the memory 204 and configured to execute on the processor202. An operating system module 206 is configured to manage hardware andservices (e.g., wireless unit, USB, Codec) within and coupled to theassistant 104 for the benefit of other modules. Several other modulesmay be provided to process verbal input from the user 106. For instance,a speech recognition module 208 provides some level of speechrecognition functionality. In some implementations, this functionalitymay be limited to specific commands that perform fundamental tasks likewaking up the device, configuring the device, and the like. The amountof speech recognition capabilities implemented on the assistant 104 isan implementation detail, but the architecture described herein cansupport having some speech recognition at the local assistant 104together with more expansive speech recognition at the cloud services116.

An acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and double talk reduction module 210are provided to process the audio signals to substantially cancelacoustic echoes and substantially reduce double talk that may occur.This module 210 may, for example, identify times where echoes arepresent, where double talk is likely, where background noise is present,and attempt to reduce these external factors to isolate and focus on thenear talker. By isolating on the near talker, better signal quality isprovided to the speech recognition module 208 to enable more accurateinterpretation of the speech utterances.

A query formation module 212 may also be provided to receive the parsedspeech content output by the speech recognition module 208 and to form asearch query or some form of request. This query formation module 212may utilize natural language processing (NLP) tools as well as variouslanguage modules to enable accurate construction of queries based on theuser's speech input.

One or more knob controlled modules 214 may also be stored in the memory204 to receive control signals from the knob controller 138 and modifyoperation of corresponding applications or functionality. Examples ofknob-controlled modules 214 may include modules that facilitate volumecontrol, other audio control (e.g., base, treble, etc.), menunavigation, radio band selection, and so forth.

The light indicator controller 140 may also be implemented to execute onthe processor 202 to assign various functions to correspondingindication states exhibited by the light indicator 134. Morespecifically, the light indicator controller 140 individually controlseach of the LEDs 200 to provide any number of visual appearances for thelight indicator 134. The light indicator controller determines which ofthe LEDs 200 to illuminate, when individual LEDs should be illuminated,their respective color, and whether to apply a pattern or animationeffect.

The modules shown stored in the memory 204 are merely representative.Other modules 216 for processing the user voice input, interpreting thatinput, and/or performing functions based on that input may be provided.

The voice controlled assistant 104 might further include a codec 218coupled to the microphones of the microphone array 124 and the speakersof the speaker array 128 to encode and/or decode the audio signals. Thecodec 218 may convert audio data between analog and digital formats. Auser may interact with the assistant 104 by speaking to it, and themicrophone array 124 captures the user speech. The codec 218 encodes theuser speech and transfers that audio data to other components. Theassistant 104 can communicate back to the user by emitting audiblestatements passed through the codec 218 and output through the speakerarray 128. In this manner, the user interacts with the voice controlledassistant simply through speech, without use of a keyboard or displaycommon to other types of devices.

A USB port 220 may further be provided as part of the assistant 104 tofacilitate a wired connection to a network, or a plug-in network devicethat communicates with other wireless networks. In addition to the USBport 220 or as an alternative thereto, other forms of wired connectionsmay be employed, such as a broadband connection. A power unit 222 isfurther provided to distribute power to the various components on theassistant 104.

The voice controlled assistant 104 includes a wireless unit 224 coupledto an antenna 226 to facilitate a wireless connection to a network. Thewireless unit 224 may implement one or more of various wirelesstechnologies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RF, and so on. In oneimplementation, the wireless unit 224 configured with a short rangewireless technology (e.g., Bluetooth) may be used to communicate withother local devices, such as a communication device 228 (e.g., portabledigital assistant, cellular phone, smart phone, etc.). As one example, avoice communication device 228 may be proximal to the voice controlledassistant 104 and communicate with the assistant using a Bluetoothconnection. When the communication device 228 receives a call, the callmay be transferred to the voice controlled assistant 104 to facilitatethe conversation with the user. As part of this incoming call, thecalling party may be identified and that identity is used by the voicecontrolled assistant 104 to illuminate the light indicator in a visuallycustomized way that informs the user of the calling party. Additionally,the intended recipient may be identified and the assistant 104 mayilluminate the light indicator in a different appearance stateassociated with the recipient. In this manner, the light indicatorfunctions as a caller ID.

In one implementation, user profiles 230 are maintained in the memory204. The user profiles 230 may include a user name, an identifier, anemail address, a phone number, and the like. Also, each user profileincludes an appearance state for the light indicator. In this manner,the appearance state is associated with a corresponding user so thatinformation about a user (e.g., name, phone number, etc.) may be used toretrieve the appropriate appearance state. In certain cases, theappearance state is unique to a single user. In other cases, theappearance state may be used to represent an entity or group of users(e.g., grandparents). As shown in FIG. 2, upon receipt of an incomingcall, the phone 228 may transfer any part of the user metadata to theassistant 104, such as the name, phone number, and so forth. Theassistant 104 uses this information to retrieve the associatedappearance state from the user profile 230. Once the appearance state isretrieved, the processor 202 instructs the light indicator to emit theappearance state.

The voice controlled assistant 104 is designed to support audiointeractions with the user, in the form of receiving voice commands(e.g., words, phrase, sentences, etc.) from the user and outputtingaudible feedback to the user. Accordingly, in the illustratedimplementation, there are no keypads, joysticks, keyboards, touchscreens, and the like. Further there is no display for text or graphicaloutput. In one implementation described below, the voice controlledassistant 104 includes a few control mechanisms, such as the knob 132,two actuatable buttons, and possibly power and reset buttons. But,otherwise, the assistant 104 relies primarily on audio interactions.

Accordingly, the assistant 104 may be implemented as an aestheticallyappealing device with smooth and rounded surfaces, with apertures forpassage of sound waves, and merely having a power cord and optionally awired interface (e.g., broadband, USB, etc.). In some implementations, apower light may be included at the base or bottom of the assistant 104to indicate when the device is powered on. An on/off power switch mayfurther be included in some configurations.

In the illustrated implementation, the assistant 104 has a housing of anelongated cylindrical shape. Apertures or slots are formed in a base endto allow emission of sound waves. A more detailed discussion of oneparticular structure is provided below with reference to FIGS. 3-7. Onceplugged in, the device may automatically self-configure, or with slightaid of the user, and be ready to use. As a result, the assistant 104 maybe generally produced at a low cost. In other implementations, other I/Ocomponents may be added to this basic model, such as additionalspecialty buttons, a keypad, display, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one example implementation of the voicecontrolled assistant 104. The assistant 104 has a cylindrical body orhousing 302 with an upper or top end 304 and a lower or base end 306.The base end 306 of the housing 302 has multiple openings or apertures308 to permit emission of sound waves generated by the speakers (notshown in FIG. 3) contained within the housing. In other implementations,the openings 308 may be in other locations, such as a band about themiddle of the cylindrical housing or closer to the top end 304. Theopenings 308 may be arranged in any layout or pattern, essentiallyanywhere on the device, depending in part on the location of the one ormore speakers housed therein.

One implementation of the control knob 132 is illustrated in FIG. 3 asan annular wheel-like knob mounted near the top end 304 of the housing302 to rotate about a center axis 312 of the cylindrical body definingthe housing. The knob 132 has a smooth outer surface 314 that issubstantially flush with an outer surface 316 of the housing 302. Forinstance, the housing's outer surface 316 is at a first radius from thecenter axis 312 and the knob's outer surface 314 is at a second radiusfrom the center axis 312, and the first and second radii areapproximately equal. In this manner, the knob 132 maintains the smoothcylindrical shape of the housing 302 to promote an elegant design wherethe knob 132 seamlessly integrates with the cylindrical housing 302 anddoes not conspicuously stand out as a separate appendage. Additionally,the knob 132 enjoys a large diameter to permit more precise mechanicalmovement and control. The knob 132 may be infinitely rotatable in eitherdirection, with no mechanical limit for clockwise or counterclockwiserotation. As a result, a user may easily and finely control variousfunctions by grasping and turning the knob 132 or by using a finger torotate the knob 132.

The knob 132 has an upper edge or lip that is fitted with an edge pipe318, which may be used as an annular illumination component of the lightindicator 134. The edge pipe 318 is formed of a light transmissivematerial and may receive light from the light source 200 (e.g., one ormore LEDs) so that the edge pipe 318 may be illuminated. Due to itslocation at the top end 304, the edge pipe 318, when illuminated, isvisible from all directions and may be easily seen in the dark to aid inuser operation of the knob 132. The edge pipe 318 may be illuminatedusing a single color or many different colors. Similarly, the pipe 318may be illuminated as a solid annular ring or as individual segments.The segments may even be controlled in a way to provide an animatedappearance (e.g., flashing segments, turning segments on/off in apattern, differing intensities of light emitted by the LEDs, etc.). Thevarious appearances may be assigned to different functions, such as todifferentiate rest mode from operational mode, or to communicatedifferent states of operation (e.g., when in mute or privacy), or tocommunicate different types of functionality (e.g., receiving or storinga message), or to illustrate associated knob operation (e.g.,illuminating more segments as the user turns the knob), and so forth.

FIG. 4 shows the control knob 132 of FIG. 3 in more detail. The knob 132is an annular ring member having an outer surface 314 and an innersurface 402. In one implementation, the knob is constructed with athickness between the inner surface 402 and the outer surface 314 and anoverall weight that provides a quality tactile experience with improvedprecision feel. The edge pipe 318 is arranged around one edge or lip ofthe knob 132. The inner surface 402 has a set of gear teeth 404 thatengage a complementary gear member internal to the knob 132.

FIG. 5 shows one example mechanical arrangement in which the knob 132engages a complementary gear member 502. Rotation of the knob 132,either clockwise or counterclockwise, causes mechanical movement of theinner gear teeth 404 relative to the complementary gear member 502,which in turn rotates the gear member 502 in the same direction. Thegear member 502 is operationally coupled to the knob controller 138 thatgenerates an electrical signal based on the movement of the gear member502.

With reference again to FIG. 3, the knob 132 rotates around a circularend cap 320, which remains stationary. The circular end cap 320 may beformed of a hard, protective material, such as plastic. In suchimplementations, a center hole 321 may be provided in the end cap 320 topermit sound transmission to one or more microphones positioned beneaththe end cap 320. Alternatively, the end cap 320 may be formed of amaterial that is transmissive to sound waves, as one or more microphonesmay be placed beneath the surface. In one implementation, a groove 322is formed between the edge pipe 318 of the knob 132 and the end cap 320.The groove 322 recesses into the assistant from the outer surface formedby the end cap 320. The groove 322 may be, for example, at a depth of 1mm to 5 mm, with 2 mm being one example suitable distance. In stillanother implementation, a sound transmissive material, such as a mesh,may be used to cover the groove 322 or components, such as microphones,positioned in the groove.

Two actuatable buttons 324 and 326 are exposed through correspondingopenings in the end cap 318. These buttons 324 and 326 may beimplemented, for example, with on/off states and may be assigned tocontrol essentially any binary functionality. In one implementation, theleft button 324 may be used to enable/disable the microphones (i.e.,place the assistant in a privacy mode) and the right button 326 may beused for any other assignable function. The buttons 324 and 326 may beconfigured with different tactile profiles (e.g., different surfaces,shapes, texture, etc.) to exhibit different tactile experiences for theuser, so that the buttons may be identified in low or dark lightingconditions simply through touch. The buttons may also be configured tobe illuminated for easy viewing in low or dark lighting conditions.

One or more microphones may be positioned in the groove 322. There aremany possible arrangements of the microphones in the microphone array.In one implementation, the assistant 104 is equipped with sixmicrophones in the groove 322 between the knob 132 and the end cap 320and a seventh microphone is positioned centrally at the axis 312 beneaththe surface of the end cap 320. If the end cap 320 is formed of a hard,protective plastic, an aperture or opening 321 may be formed at thecenter point above the seventh microphone. Alternatively, a hole patternmay be stamped into the plastic end cap 320 to generally permit passageof sound waves to the underlying microphones.

FIG. 6 shows one example arrangement of microphones in the top end 304.More particularly, FIG. 6 shows a top down view of the voice controlledassistant 104 taken along line A-A to illustrate the end cap 320 at theupper end 304 of the housing 302. In this example, the microphone arrayhas seven microphones 126(1), . . . , 126(7). Six of the microphones126(1)-(6) are placed within the groove 322 between the perimeter of theend cap 320 and the knob 132, and are oriented so that the microphonesare exposed into the groove 322 to receive sound. A mesh or other soundtransmissive material may be placed over the microphones to prevent dustor other contaminants from affecting the microphones. A seventhmicrophone 126(7) is positioned at the center point of the circular endcap 320 and beneath an opening in the end cap 320 or a soundtransmissive material. It is noted that this is merely one examplearrangement. Arrays with more or less than seven microphones may beused, and other layouts are possible.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view 700 of the voice controlled assistant104 taken along a plane that intersects the center axis 312 of thecylindrical-shaped housing 302. The housing 302 has an elongated,cylindrical-shaped middle section 702 extending between the first, loweror base end 306 and a second, upper, or top end 304. Thecylindrical-shaped middle section 702 has a smooth outer surface 316 anddue to the rounded shape, the two ends 304 and 306 are circular inshape. The base end 306 is designed to rest on a surface, such as atable 108 in FIG. 1, to support the housing 302. In this position, thetop end 304 is distal and upward relative to the base end 306.

The housing 302 defines a hollow chamber 704. Within this chamber 704are two skeletal members: a first or lower skeletal member 706 thatprovides structural support for components in the lower half of thechamber 704 and a second or upper skeletal member 708 that providesstructural support for components in the upper half of the chamber 704.

The computing components 136 are mounted to the upper skeletal member708, with one example configuration having the components mounted on aprinted circuit board (PCB) positioned just below the end cap 320. Thecomputing components 136 may include any number of processing and memorycapabilities, as well as power, codecs, network interfaces, and soforth. Example components are shown in FIG. 2. The PCB may further holdthe microphones 126(1)-(M), which are not shown in FIG. 7. It is notedthat some or all of the computing components 136 may be situated inother locations within the housing 302.

A light source 200 for the edge pipe 318 may be mounted to the PCB. Inone implementation, the light source 200 may be formed as multiple(e.g., 12) multi-colored light sources, such as RGB LEDs. In FIG. 7, twoLEDs 200(1) and 200(2), are shown mounted to the PCB 136 and opticallyconnected to a light pipe diffusion ring 709, which is also mounted tothe PCB. The light pipe diffusion ring 709 is optically coupled to theedge pipe 318. In this manner, each of the LEDs 200 may emit light invarious colors, which is conveyed through the diffusion ring 709 to theedge pipe 318 exposed on the other rim of the knob 132 so that the lightring can be viewed from all directions. In this configuration, the lightindicator 132 is composed the light indicator controller 140, the lightsource 200, and the optical illumination components of the edge pipe 318and diffusion ring 709.

Two speakers are shown mounted in the housing 302. A first speaker 710is shown mounted within the lower skeletal member 706. The first speaker710 outputs a first range of frequencies of audio sound. In oneimplementation, the first speaker 710 is a mid-high frequency speakerthat plays the middle to high frequency ranges in the human-perceptibleaudible range. A second speaker 712 is shown mounted within the upperskeletal member 708 elevationally above the first speaker 710 withrespect to the base end 306. In this implementation, the second speaker712 is a low frequency speaker that plays the low frequency ranges inthe human-perceptible audible range. The mid-high frequency speaker 710is smaller than the low frequency speaker 712.

The two speakers 710 and 712 are mounted in a coaxial arrangement alongthe center axis 312, with the low frequency speaker 712 atop themid-high frequency speaker 710. The speakers are also coaxial along thecenter axis 312 to the microphone array, or more particularly, to theplane containing the microphone array. The middle microphone 126(7) (notshown in this figure) is positioned at the center point and lies alongthe center axis 312. Further, the two speakers 710 and 712 are orientedto output sound in a downward direction toward the base end 306 and awayfrom the microphones mounted in the top end 304. The low frequencyspeaker 712 outputs sound waves that pass through one or more openingsin the lower skeletal member 706. The low frequency waves may emanatefrom the housing in any number of directions. Said another way, in someimplementations, the low frequency speaker 712 may function as a wooferto generate low frequency sound waves that flow omni-directionally fromthe assistant 104.

The mid-high frequency speaker 710 is mounted within a protectiveshielding 714, which provides a shield to the sound waves emitted fromthe low frequency speaker 712. Small openings or slots 716 are formed inthe lower skeletal member 706 near the base end 306 of the housing 302to pass sound waves from the chamber 704, although the low frequencywaves need not be constrained to these slots.

The mid-high frequency speaker 710 emits mid-high frequency sound wavesin a downward direction onto a sound distribution cone 718 mounted tothe base end 306. The sound distribution cone 718 is coaxially arrangedin the housing 302 along the center axis 312 and adjacent to themid-high frequency speaker 710. The sound distribution cone 718 has aconical shape with a smooth upper nose portion 720, a middle portion 722with increasing radii from top to bottom, and a lower flange portion 724with smooth U-shaped flange. The sound distribution cone 718 directs themid-high frequency sound waves from the mid-high frequency speaker 710along the smooth conical surface downward along the middle portion 722and in a radial outward direction from the center axis 312 along thelower flange portion 724 at the base end 306 of the housing 302. Theradial outward direction is substantially perpendicular to the initialdownward direction of the sound along the center axis 312. In thismanner, the sound distribution cone 718 essentially delivers the soundout of the base end 306 of the housing 302 symmetrical to, andequidistance from, the microphone array in the top end 304 of thehousing. The sound distribution cone 718 may also have the effect ofamplifying the sound emitted from the mid-high frequency speaker 710.

Slots 726 are formed between the lower skeletal member 706 and the cone718 to permit passage of the sound waves, and particularly the highfrequency sound waves, emitted from the mid-high frequency speaker 710.In addition, apertures 308 are formed in the outer housing 702 to permitemission of the sound waves.

The knob 132 is rotatably mounted at the top end 304 of the housing 302to rotate about the center axis 312. The knob 132 is mechanicallycoupled to the complementary gear 502. As the gear rotates, a knobcontroller 138 outputs a signal indicative of that rotation that may bepassed to other modules to control various functions.

FIG. 8 shows a top down view of the voice controlled assistant 104 takenthrough line A-A just beneath the outer end cap 320 to illustrate oneexample implementation of the light indicator 134. The light indicator134 includes the light indicator controller 140 electrically coupled tocontrol an array of multiple LEDs 200(1), . . . , 200(12), which areuniformly arranged about the center axis. The LEDs 200(1)-(12) areoptically coupled to the edge pipe 318 to form twelve illuminationsegments 800(1), . . . 800(12) that can be selectively illuminated. Thelight indicator controller 140 individually controls each of the LEDs200, instructing the LEDs as to color, on/off state, light intensity,timing, and so forth. In this manner, the controller 140 can control thearray of LEDs 200(1)-(12) to provide essentially unlimited indication orappearance states.

FIG. 9 shows a variety of example appearance states that may beexhibited by the light indicator 134 depending upon an associatedfunction. Since each of the twelve light segments may be individuallycontrolled with many different color and timing options, there areinfinitely many different functions that can be assigned to theappearance states. For instance, in this illustration, N functions F1,F2, . . . , FN are associated with different types of appearance statesthat involve timing of segment illumination. Varying colors of eachsegment within each of these examples adds another dimension ofappearance states that might be used to represent available functions.

In FIG. 9, one example appearance state involves turning on all of thelight segments 800 concurrently to produce a solid ring 902. A firstfunction F1 may be assigned to the solid ring 902, or multiple functionsmay be mapped to associated color variations of the solid ring 902. Forinstance, a solid green ring may represent a normal “on” state, and asolid red ring may represent a mute condition. Another appearance statemight include turning the solid ring 902 on and off, so that theindicator appears to blink. This may represent yet another function,such as when the assistant 104 receives a voice message or is in callwaiting. In some cases, different colors may be used to representdifferent people who left messages, with the colors being personalizedby the user to represent different individuals.

Another example appearance state involves varying which segments areturned on or off, as represented by the varied segments state 904. Here,some of the segments may be off while other segments are one. Any numberof combinations of the twelve segments may be used to create variousappearance states to which functions, such as function F2, can beassigned. These varied segment states may be assigned, for example, tofunctions such as alerts, reminders, calendars, and such.

Still another example appearance state is the sequence state 906 wheresegments are turned on and off in a sequence. For instance, in FIG. 9, afunction F3 may be associated with a sequence that begins with segment800(1) and turns on subsequent light segments 800(2), 800(3), etc. in aclockwise manner at times T1, T2, T3, etc. One suitable function thatmight be associated with a sequence state 906 is to provide visualfeedback while the user adjusts the control knob 132. The user may, forexample, adjust the volume of the voice controlled assistant 104 byrotating the knob 132 clockwise. In response, the light indicatorcontroller 140 may direct the LEDs 200 to illuminate the segments 800 ina sequential pattern of 800(1), 800(2), . . . , and so on. In anotherexample, this sequence state appearance may be used for a timerfunction, where the light sequence slowly turns off in reverse order astime expires.

The sequence appearance state 906 may also be used for measurementrelated functions, such as temperature or barometer readings. Forinstance, the user may ask the voice controlled assistant 104 to providethe current temperature in the room or at a remote vacation resort. Asan example, the user may ask, “What is the temperature in Maui?” Inresponse, the controlled assistant 104 will determine the correctresponse (locally or via a query to the cloud services) and provide anaudio response. For instance, the assistant 104 may respond, “Theweather in Maui is 86 degrees”. As part of this response, the lightindicator controller 140 may use the sequence appearance state to turnon nine LEDs with a red color to illuminate the corresponding segments800(1)-800(9) so that three-quarters of light indicator ring is red,thereby visually conveying to the user a hot temperature measure akin toa thermometer.

Another example appearance state is the animated state 908 wheresegments are turned on and off to provide an animation effect. Forinstance, in FIG. 9, a function F4 may be associated with an appearancewhere segment 800(5) is illuminated at time T1, segment 800(6) at timeT2, and segments 800(3) and 800(9) at time T3. The animated appearancestate 908 may be used for essentially any associated function, withexamples being an alert, a warning, intruder detection, receipt ofcommunication from a pre-identified person, and so forth.

Yet another example appearance state is the random state 910 wheresegments are turned on and off, at different colors, in a pseudo-randommanner. Again, the random appearance state 910 may be used foressentially any associated function, with one example being for merelydecorative purposes for music playback.

The appearance states provided in FIG. 9 are merely representativeexamples and are not intended to be limiting in any way. For instance,appearance states may be coordinated with a calendar application runningon the assistant 104 (or in the cloud services). A color scheme oranimation pattern may be selected based on a specific date. DuringChristmas season, red and green colors may be used more prominently,whereas an orange/black color palette is selected during Halloween and ared/white color palette is selected for Valentine's Day. Anothercalendar item may be a person's birthday, which may introduce funanimated states that are activated together with the playing of a songfor “Happy Birthday”. In such cases, the illumination may be for purelydecorative reasons. Furthermore, although the description refers to theLEDs as being on or off, such LEDs may be controlled through variouslevels of brightness or grayscale to provide an even more variedappearance. In another example appearance state, the light indicator mayoperate in a directional state in which at least some of the LEDs areilluminated to exhibit a direction of input or output of the audiosound. For instance, when a user is speaking, the LED segments on theside of the rim closest to the user may be illuminated to indicate thatthe audio sound is being received from that direction.

In some implementations, there may be two or more voice controlledassistants in the same room or area. In these cases, the lightindicators may be coordinated through inter-device communication (e.g.,Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LAN, etc.) or via a central computing node, such asthe cloud services. For instance, multiple assistants may be used toconvey equalizer information where each assistant represents anassociated band. In another situation, games may be played acrossmultiple devices, where the light indicator is lit to identify whichassistant is active during game play. In still another situation, acustomized visualization or warning directed to one user may betransferred among multiple assistants as the user physically moves fromone assistant toward another assistant (e.g., such as walking across aroom, or from one room to the next). A multi-assistant system isdiscussed below in more detail with reference to FIG. 12.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process 1000 to operate acommunication device, such as the voice controlled assistant 104. Thisprocess (as well as other processes described throughout) is illustratedas a logical flow graph, each operation of which represents a sequenceof operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. In the context of software, the operationsrepresent computer-executable instructions stored on one or moretangible computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one ormore processors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the process.

For purposes of discussion, the process 1000 is described with referenceto the voice controlled assistant 104. However, the process may beperformed by other electronic devices.

At 1002, a function to be performed, which might benefit from visualfeedback to the user, is determined. The function may be of any numberof types, such as operation-based functions (e.g., power, mute, volume,etc.), application-driven functions (e.g., calendar events, reminders,alerts, etc.), communication-related functions (e.g., call waiting,voicemail notice, etc.), security-related functions (e.g., sounddetection within an environment when in a security mode), entertainmentfunctions (e.g., music, movie sounds, audio books, etc.), and so forth.

At 1004, a corresponding light appearance state for the light indicatoris ascertained based on the function. The light indicator is capable ofproducing a wide range of visual appearances by varying which segmentsare on/off, the respective colors of the segments, and the timing ofactivating the segments. Different visual appearances may be mapped orotherwise assigned programmatically to the functions.

At 1006, the light indicator is configured to exhibit the lightappearance state. In the implementation described above, the lightindicator controller 140 controls the individual LEDs 200 to selectivelyemit light of a specified color at one or more specified times toachieve the desired appearance state. As a result, the edge pipe 318 ofthe knob 132 is selectively illuminated to provide visual feedback ofthe function being performed. Example appearance states are discussedabove with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows an example implementation of the voice controlledassistant 104 in which the light indicator 134 is configured to be usedfor caller identification. In this illustration, a first user 1102 has afirst communication device 1104 and a second user 1106 has a secondcommunication device 1108. Through a local wireless connection (e.g.,Bluetooth), the first and second communication devices 1104 and 1108 arecommunicatively coupled to the voice controlled assistant 104. A remotecaller 1110 is also shown in FIG. 11 and that remote caller 1110 maycontact either of the first and second users 1102 and 1106, who may alsobe considered as recipients of the caller's communication.

Each of the parties—first user 1102, second user 1106, and remote caller1110—may be associated with one of the appearance states of the lightindicator. This association may be maintained, for example, in thememory 204 of the voice controlled assistant 104. In FIG. 11, the firstuser 1102 has an associated first appearance state of 1112 (e.g., solidring color), the second user 1106 has an associated second appearancestate 1114 (e.g., different color segments), and the remote caller hasan associated third appearance state 1116 (e.g., a sequential pattern).

When the remote caller 1110 calls the first user 1102 on thecommunication device 1104, the communication device 1104 may transferthe audio input/output functionality to the voice controlled assistant104. Upon doing this, the voice controlled assistant 104 determines anidentity of the first user 1102 from the communication device 1104 andmay further determine (or receive from the communication device 1104) anidentity of the remote caller 1110. The processor 202 of the assistant104 uses these identities to retrieve the associated appearance states,and then directs the light indicator to output the appropriateappearance state. For instance, the light indicator 134 may emit thefirst appearance state 1112 associated with the first user 1102 whenreceiving the call, or emit the third appearance state 1116 associatedwith the remote caller 1110, or cycle between the two appearance statesto identify both parties on the call.

Similarly, when the remote caller 1110 calls the second user 1106 on thecommunication device 1108, the communication device 1108 may communicatewith the voice controlled assistant 104 to offload the audioinput/output functionality to the assistant 104. The voice controlledassistant 104 determines an identity of the second user 1106 from thecommunication device 1108 and may further determine (or receive from thecommunication device 1108) an identity of the remote caller 1110. Theprocessor 202 of the assistant 104 uses these identities to retrieve theassociated appearance states, and then directs the light indicator 134to output the appropriate appearance state. The light indicator 134 mayemit the second appearance state 1114 associated with the second user1106 when receiving the call, or emit the third appearance state 1116associated with the remote caller 1110, or cycle between the twoappearance states.

FIG. 12 shows a system 1200 having multiple voice controlled assistants104(1), 104(2), 104(3), . . . , 104(V). The assistants 104(1)-(V) may becommunicatively coupled via a local area network, such as Bluetooth,LAN, or Wi-Fi. Additionally, or alternatively, the assistants 104(1)-(V)may be connected to communicate with one or more local or remotecomputing devices 1202 that are separate from the assistants 104(1)-(V).The multiple voice controlled assistants 104(1)-(V) are coordinated viathe inter-device communication or via the computing device(s) 1202 sothat the light indicators 134(1)-(V) on respective assistants 104(1)-(V)exhibit different appearance states that collectively yield a combinedvisual appearance. Each of the voice controlled assistants 104(1)-(V)may independently use any of the appearance states discussed above withreference to FIG. 9. These various appearance states may then becoordinated to provide a collective visual display that providesdifferent information to the user. For instance, inter-device timing maybe added to provide unique visual displays, where one light indicator ona first assistant emits an appearance in synchronization with, or attimed bursts relative to, another light indicator on another assistant.

In FIG. 12, two usage scenarios are illustrated for discussion purposes,although many other scenarios are possible. In one scenario, the set ofvoice controlled assistants 104(1)-(V) are configured to collectivelyoutput music or other multi-band audio. The assistants 104(1)-(V) mayfurther allow adjustment of the frequency bands, similar to thefunctionality performed by an audio equalizer. As part of thisoperation, the light indicators 134(1)-(V) of the voice controlledassistants 104(1)-(V) may be associated with different frequency bandsto provide visual feedback of the equalization levels of the associatedbands. For instance, the light indicators may exhibit a range in colorswhere one color represents a low equalization level and another colorrepresents a high equalization level, with various colors in between.Alternatively, each light indicator may show a single segment on for alow equalization level and all segments on for a high equalizationlevel.

Collectively, the light indicators of the voice controlled assistants104(1)-(V) provide an equalizer appearance 1204 that informs the user ofthe various equalization levels of the frequency bands. A user mayadjust the levels of the frequency bands and receive visual feedback asthe light indicator for that band changes appearance states.Furthermore, in some implementations, individual equalization levels maybe adjusted by the corresponding control knob of the assistant 104assigned to that frequency band.

In another scenario, the set of voice controlled assistants 104(1)-(V)may be configured to collectively provide a game play appearance 1206during an audio-based game. For instance, the user may be playing adance game where music is played from the assistants 104. Individual orsets of the light indicators 134(1)-(V) are then lit or animated inpatterns to direct the user to make adjustments throughout the dance(e.g., change orientations, pace, or dance steps). Similarly,illuminating different light indicators of multiple individual voicecontrolled assistants may be used to control the various exercisestages.

There scenarios are merely representative. Many others are possible,including such scenarios as using the multiple light indicators in acoordinated fashion to convey temperature information, or volumeinformation, or a timer, or audio controls (fade, balance, etc.), and soforth.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms ofimplementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first devicefrom a second device, first audio data associated with a first call;determining, at the first device, a first identity of a first callerassociated with the first call; identifying, at the first device, afirst caller profile associated with the first caller, the first callerprofile including first data representing a first appearance state;illuminating, at the first device, a light indicator according to thefirst appearance state; receiving, at the first device from a thirddevice, second audio data associated with a second call; determining, atthe first device, a second identity of a second caller associated withthe second call; identifying, at the first device, a second callerprofile associated with the second caller, the second caller profileincluding second data representing a second appearance state; andilluminating, at the first device, the light indicator according to thesecond appearance state.
 2. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: outputting, at the first device, first sound associated withthe first audio data; and outputting, at the first device, second soundassociated with the second audio data.
 3. The method according to claim1, further comprising: receiving, at the first device, sound captured inan environment; and transmitting, from the first device to at least oneof the second device or the third device, an audio signal representingthe sound.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:the first appearance state is determined by a first recipient associatedwith the first call; or the second appearance state is determined by asecond recipient associated with the second call.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising at least one of: receiving, atthe first device from the second device, first metadata associated withthe first caller, the first metadata indicating at least one of a firstidentifier or a first phone number of the first caller, whereindetermining the first identity of the first caller is further based atleast in part on the first metadata; or receiving, at the first devicefrom the third device, second metadata associated with the secondcaller, the second metadata indicating at least one of a secondidentifier or a second phone number of the second caller, whereindetermining the second identity of the second caller is further based atleast in part on the second metadata.
 6. The method according to claim1, further comprising at least one of: identifying, at the first device,a first recipient profile associated with a recipient of the first call,and wherein the first appearance state is further based at least in parton the first recipient profile; or identifying, at the first device, asecond recipient profile associated with a recipient of the second call,and wherein the second appearance state is further based at least inpart on the second recipient profile.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinthe first recipient profile is a same as the second recipient profile.8. An electronic device comprising: a light indicator; one or moreprocessors; and one or more computer-readable media storing instructionsthat, when executed, cause the one or more processors to performoperations comprising: establishing a communication channel with amobile device of a user; determining, based at least in part on datareceived via the communication channel, that the mobile device is withina threshold distance of the electronic device; sending, to a remotecomputing device, an indication that the mobile device is within thethreshold distance of the electronic device; receiving a first call thatwas directed to the mobile device; determining a first caller associatedwith the first call; identifying a first appearance state associatedwith the first caller; illuminating the light indicator according to thefirst appearance state; receiving a second call that was directed to themobile device; determining a second caller associated with the secondcall; identifying a second appearance state associated with the secondcaller; and illuminating the light indicator according to the secondappearance state.
 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, whereinthe light indicator includes a plurality of light segments, and whereinat least one of the first appearance state or the second appearancestate comprises turning on and off illumination of at least one segmentof the plurality of light segments.
 10. The electronic device accordingto claim 8, wherein the indication comprises a first indication, and theone or more processors further perform an operation comprisingilluminating, based at least in part on receiving a second indicationthat the first call has been answered, the light indicator according toa third appearance state different than the first appearance state andthe second appearance state.
 11. The electronic device according toclaim 8, wherein the indication is a first indication and the one ormore processors further perform operations comprising: receiving, at theelectronic device, a second indication that a voicemail has been leftwith the mobile device; and illuminating, based at least in part onreceiving the second indication, the light indicator according to athird appearance state, the third appearance state being different thanthe first appearance state and the second appearance state.
 12. Theelectronic device according to claim 8, wherein the electronic devicefurther comprises one or more microphones, and wherein the one or moreprocessors further perform operations comprising: receiving, via the oneor more microphones, sound from an environment; and generating an audiosignal based at least in part on receiving the sound.
 13. The electronicdevice according to claim 12, wherein the one or more processors furtherperform an operation comprising sending the audio signal to the remotecomputing device.
 14. An electronic device comprising: a lightindicator; one or more processors; and one or more computer-readablemedia storing instructions that, when executed, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform operations comprising: receiving, at theelectronic device from a first communication device, first audio data;identifying a first caller profile associated with the first audio data,the first caller profile including first data representing a firstappearance state; illuminating, based at least in part on identifyingthe first caller profile, the light indicator according to the firstappearance state; receiving, at the electronic device from a secondcommunication device, second audio data; identifying a second callerprofile associated with the second audio data, the second caller profileincluding second data representing a second appearance state; andilluminating, based at least in part on identifying the second callerprofile, the light indicator according to the second appearance state.15. The electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising aloudspeaker, and wherein the one or more processors further performoperations comprising at least one of: outputting first sound associatedwith the first audio data via the loudspeaker; or outputting secondsound associated with the second audio data via the loudspeaker.
 16. Theelectronic device according to claim 14, further comprising one or moremicrophones, and wherein the one or more processors further performoperations comprising: receiving, via the one or more microphones, soundcaptured in an environment; and transmitting, based at least in part onreceiving the sound, an audio signal to at least one of a remotecomputing device, the first communication device, or the secondcommunication device.
 17. The electronic device according to claim 14,wherein at least one of: the first appearance state is determined by afirst recipient associated with the first call; or the second appearancestate is determined by a second recipient associated with the secondcall.
 18. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the oneor more processors further perform operations comprising at least oneof: identifying, based at least in part on receiving the first audiodata, a first recipient profile associated with the first audio data,and wherein the first appearance state is further based at least in parton the first recipient profile; or identifying, based at least in parton receiving the second audio data, a second recipient profileassociated with the second audio data, and wherein the second appearancestate is further based at least in part on the second recipient profile.19. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein at least onefirst characteristic of the first appearance state and at least onesecond characteristic of the second appearance state are a same.